-Wen-Jing Mo became a prostitute aged 18 and earned £3,000 a week -Says she has 'no regrets' and it was 'simply a matter of survival'-Fellow contestant Aaron Withers is a £50-an-hour escort

By Emily Allen

The winning contestant on last week's Take Me Out worked as a prostitute, it has been revealed.

Wen-Jing Mo won at date with Aaron Withers on the hit ITV show last Saturday and the pair were whisked off to Cyprus in the hope that romance would blossom.

However, now it has emerged that Wen, 28, became a £200-an-hour prostitute aged 18 to help make ends meet.

'A matter of survival': Take Me Out winner Wen-Jing Mowho has admitted to being a £200 per hour prostitute It follows revelations earlier this week that Mr Withers, 32, is a £50-an-hour escort - and has a criminal conviction for punching a girl in a pub.

Embarrassed show producers have now decided to axe follow-up footage of the couple on holiday when the show airs again on Saturday night.

Wen told the newspaper she didn't tell producers about her past as she said she wanted to find love on the show. She had also hidden her dark secret from her friends and family.

Match: Aaron was seen on Saturday night's show picking 28-year-old Wen for a date. Seen here with Wen and host Paddy McGuinness

She joined a central London escort agency aged 18 and was turned down by her first client - a rich businessman - for not being thin enough, she said.

Wen, who grew up in care, said: 'Looking back now of course I regret doing it – but at the time it was a lifeline for me.

'I think a lot of other people in my position would do the same if it meant they could eat properly – I saw it as a matter of survival.'

Escort past: Take Me Out contestant Aaron Withers has been revealed as a £50-an-hour male escort

She said she had only been earning £120 a week as a trainee hairdresser in London and had huge bills to pay when the salon folded.

However, she claimed she managed to save £3,000 a week working as a high-class escort and said being able to pay her bills was 'like a massive weight lifted off my shoulders'.

The money meant she could afford to go to hairdressing college and take a job in property.

But the memories of her time as a prostitute are 'unpleasant', she said, and she tries to block them out.

She recalled 'rude and obnoxious' clients and said it was 'very scary sometimes'.

The revelations are the latest scandal to hit the popular show hosted by Paddy McGuinness.

Yesterday, it was reported one contestant organised a 48-hour long sex party at a £4.5million mansion in south Wales to celebrate the new series.

However, it was reported that the 90 revellers caused thousands of pounds worth of damage.

ITV said it was 'relaxed' about the event.

Mr Withers is signed up to the Platinum Select escorts website.

On his profile page on the site, which advertises the services of more than 5,000 escorts, Withers states his charges as £50 for an hour, £500 for an overnight visit or £1,500 for the whole weekend.

His profile states that he is happy to entertain 'mature clients', adding: 'I have an awesome personality and will never struggle to hold conversation.'

Referring to his other job, tarmac worker Withers said: 'I was really skint and needed to earn cash.'

Sex party: Grade II listed Wyelands House in Chepstow, south Wales where the Take Me Out party took place

However, he insisted that he never offered any more than an escort service, unlike many of his competitors who provide 'X-rated extras'.

He added to the paper: 'I certainly didn't offer any more than that.'

Withers was convicted of hitting Amy Kerr and her boyfriend Simon Edwards with a pool cue during a brawl in a pub in Somerset last summer.

He was fined £200 and told to pay both victims £50 compensation each after pleading guilty to the attack.

A spokesperson for show producers TalkbackThames said Mr Withers's date with Wen would not feature on this weekend's show as he had failed to disclose his criminal record.

A spokesman told MailOnline: 'During the application process we ask contestants to declare any convictions and background checks are carried out on each individual, in line with industry practice. Aaron’s criminal record did not come to light.